Draft hood for water heaters or the like



Nov. 14, 1939. (2. Hi MORROW 2,180,212

DRAFT HOOD FOR WATER HEATERS OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. 4, 1938 INVENTORCLARENCE H. MORROW Patented Nov. 14, 1939 mm STATES also-g t PATENTorries 3 Claims. ci; lat- 299) This invention relates to a draft hoodfor association with the flue outlet of a water heater or the like, saiddraft hood'being adapted to have connectedthereto the usual vent pipefor carrying to a chimney or stack the products. of combustion formed insuch water heater or the like.

In some installations of water heaters or the like, a generallyhorizontal disposition of the vent pipe which is connected to the drafthood is neces- 101 sary or desirable, whereas in other installations, itis'necessary or desirable to have such vent pipe generallyvertically'disposed.

The general object of the present invention, therefore, isthe'provision, for awater heater or the like, of a draft hood which isof such construction that either a generally horizontally disposed ventpipe or a generally vertically disposed vent pipe may be connectedthereto.

More particularly, it is thexgeneral object of this 2Q invention toprovide, fora water heater or the like, a draft hood which is of suchconstruction that it maybe secured to a. water heater 'or the like ineither of two positions, namely, in one position for theconnectionthereto of a generally horizontally 25 disposed vent pipe and in anotherposition for the: connection thereto of agenerally vertically disposedVent pipe.

. A more specific object of the present invention is the provision, for,a water heater or the like, of-

3 g a two positionalfdraft hood which is of simple and inexpensiveconstruction, of strong and durable character, and of neat andpleasingappearance;

' Another specific obj ect of the present invention 5; is the provisionof simple and inexpensive means for use in effecting the securement ofthe present. improved draft hood to a water heater or the like,

over the flue outlet thereof, and which means also carries, in'a simpleand inexpensive manner, a. suitable bafiie plate for such flue outlet,said baffle plate lying within the chamber of the present improved drafthood. 1

Further objects of the present invention are in part obvious and in partwill appear more in 45 detail hereinafter.

The present invention will be clearly understood, and its advantageswill be readily apparent,

from the following description of one embodimerit thereof, referencebeing had to the accomspective View of one form of means for use ineffecting the securement of the draft hood to a.

55 water heater or thelike, and which means carries a baflle plateforthe flue outlet of said water heater or the like; Fig. 3 is a viewshowing in more or less diagrammatic form the upper portion of a cabinettype water heater to which is secured the present draft hood, theposition of securement of said draft hood being such-as to enable avertically disposed vent pipe to be connected thereto; Fig. 4 is adetailvertical sectional View of such draft hood in the position ofsecurement shown in Fig. 3, the View being on the line t-'4, Fig. 3; and.0:

is not limited to the detailsof construction and/or the specificarrangementof'parts. hereinillustrated' and/or described, as theinvention obviously may take, other forms. It also is to be understoodthatthe phraseology or, terminologyv herein employed is. for the purposeof description and not of limitation, there being no intention and nodesire to limit the present invention; as herein disclosed and'asdefined in theyappended claims, beyond the requirements of the ,priorart.

:-As will hereinafter more fully appear, the presentinventionrelates toa draft hood which includes .(a) a wall opening for communicating as- 3Qsuch two other wall openings is adapted to serve either (1) asaproducts-of-combustion inlet opening',.for communicating associationwith the due outlet ofa water heater or the like with which the drafthood is used, or (2) as an air opening, forcommunication with theatmosphere. As a 40 result, ,a draft hood embodying the presentinvention maybeselectively secured to a water heater or the like ineither of two positions, namely, in one position for use with agenerally horizontally disposed vent pipe and in another position foruse with a generally vertically disposed vent pipe.

In construction and in form or shape, draft hoods embodying the presentinvention may vary orzdiffer widelyfrom the particular draft hood hereshown for illustration and specific description, a draft hood which isparticularly adapted for use with a cabinettype water heater, such asthe water heater A partially and more or less diagrammatically shown inFigs. 3 and 5. Inasmuch. as thefdetails. of construction of such watermaterial, such as metal, and of any suitable shape,

and which casing may be stamped, cast or otherwise suitably formed, thecasing here shown being a simple one-piece metal casting of generallyrec,

tangular, box-like character.

In one of its walls, such as in the wall IS, the casing I0 is providedwith an opening 14 (termed an aperture in the appended claims) for com-"municating association with a suitable vent pipev for carrying to achimney or stack (not shown) the products of combustion formed in thewater heater A. Preferably, the size and shape of such wall opening Mare such as to correspond with the vent pipe ordinarily used with waterheaters, and for the convenient connection of such vent pipe with thecasing I0, in communicating association with its wall opening Hi, thewall l3 of such structure is provided around such opening with anoutwardly extending annular flange [5, with which the vent pipe may betelescopically connected, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. If desired, anaperture 16 may be provided in the annular flange I5, as here shown, toenable the vent pipe to be screwed or bolted to such flange, as will bereadily understood.

As best shown in Fig. 1, the casing i0 is also provided with two otherwall openings, namely, with a wall opening 18 located directly oppositethe wall opening I l and with a wall opening 20 located between the wallopenings 14 and I8. The wall opening I8 and the wall opening 20 are eachadapted to serve either (1) as a products-of-combustion inlet opening,for communicating association with the flue outlet C of the water heaterA, or (2) as an air opening, for communication with the atmosphere.

As a result, the present draft hood may be secured to the rear wall D ofthe water heater A in either of two positions, namely, in the positionshown in Fig. 3 or in the position shown in Fig. 5. In the position ofsecurement shown in Fig. 3, the opening M of the casing l0 is=lo-' catedat the top thereof, with the annular flange 15 around such openingvertically disposed for telescopic connection with the correspondinglydisposed vent pipe F. In such position, the .wall opening l8 of thecasing i0 is located at the bottom thereof and therefore serves as thedraft hood air opening, whereas the wall opening 20 of the casing in islocated alongside the rear wall D of the water heater cabinet, forcommunicating association with the outlet end 0 of the water heater flueB.

When the present draft hood is in its other position of securement,namely, in the position shown in Fig. 5, the wall opening M of thecasing Ill is at the rear thereof, with the annular flange l5 aroundsuch opening horizontally dis-' posed for telescopic connection with thecorrespondingly disposed vent pipe F'. In such position, the wallopening 20 of the casing I0 is at the bottom thereof and therefore suchopening now serves as the draft hood air opening, whereas the wallopening I8 of the casing I0 is now located alongside the water heaterrear wall D',

for communicating association with the flue outlet end C of the waterheater. 5

It is thus apparent that the present draft hood, because of its twopositional construction, is adapted for use with either a verticallydisposed vent pipe or with a horizontally disposed vent pipe.

Although it is not necessary that the wall openings l8 and 20 of thepresent draft hood correspond in size and shape, as here shown, it ispreferable that they do so, inasmuch as that will ensure for the drafthood at all times a bottom air opening of the same size and shape, as

will be readily understood.

By omitting two walls of the casing [0, as here shown, the openings I8and 20 thereof may be simply and economically formed, as it is notnecessary that such openings be of separated or non-intercommunicatingcharacter.

In the embodiment of the invention here i1 lustrated, the outlet end Cof the water heater flue B lies slightly beyond the water heater rear.

wall D, so that such flue extends through that wall opening of the drafthood which lies alongsidesuch wall, that is, through the wall opening 20when the draft hood is in its position of securement shown in Fig. 3,and through the wall opening 18 when the draft hood is in its alternateor Fig. 5 position.

Any suitable means may be utilized to effect the securement to a waterheater or the like of a draft hood embodying the present invention. Themeans utilized for effecting the securement of the draft hood hereillustrated to the rear wall D of the water heater A, over the waterheater flue outlet 0, includes a simple stamped metal strip 25, theangle section of which provides such strip with flange means 26 forsuitable securement, such as by the screws 21, to the water heater wallD and with flange means 28 projecting outwardly therefrom and to whichthe present draft hood may be telescopically related and suitablyconnected, such as by the screws 29, in either of its two positionshereinbefore referred to.

For such connection of the present draft hood to the metal strip 25, theflange means 28 of such strip is provided with a screw hole 30 in eachof its two depending side portions and with a screw hole 3| in its topportion. For alignment with the strip screw holes 30, the walls 32 and33 of the casing H] are each provided with a screw hole 25, and forselective alignment with the strip screw hole 3|, two screw holes areprovided in the casing l0, namely, a screw hole 36 in the Wall l3, foruse when the present draft hood is .to be secured in its Fig. 3 positionfor a vertically disposed vent pipe, and a screw hole 31 in the" wall38, for use when the present draft hood is to be secured in its Fig. 5position for a horizontally disposed vent pipe F.

In practice, the metal strip 25 preferably is secured at the factory tothe water heater wall D, in proper position relative to the water heaterflue outlet C, and the present draft hood is connected, at the time ofthe installation of the water heater A, to the flange means 28 of thestrip 25 in either the Fig. 3 position or the Fig. 5 position, dependingupon whether the vent pipe for the heater is to be vertically disposed,as in Fig. 3, or horizontally disposed, as in Fig. 5, all as will bereadily understood.

A suitable baffle plate 40, of sheet metal or the like, is here providedfor the water heater flue outlet C, as is usual. As best shown in Figs.3

and 5, said bafiie plate lies within the chamber of the present drafthood, with its upper end portion riveted, welded or otherwisesuitably'secured, as at 42, to the flange means 28 of the metal strip25, as best shown in Fig. 2. Inasmuch as the bafile plate 40 is securedto the metal strip 25,

and not to the draft hood itself, the provision of such baiile platedoes not interfere in any Way,

with the securement of the draft hood, in either of its two positions,to such metal strip 25. Moreover, proper positioning. of said baffleplate relative to the water heater flue outlet C is always insured.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

What I claim is:

1. A draft hood for the flue of a water heater or the like, said drafthood comprising a casing having a wall aperture and an outwardlyextending annular flange surrounding such aperture and adapted fortelescopic association with a stack vent. pipe, said casing also havingtwo wall openings and being adapted for association in either of twopositions with the flue of said water heater or the like so as to locateeither of its said wall openings in communicating association with theoutlet of the flue of such water heater or the like, with the other wallopening of such casing serving at such time as an air openmg.

2. In comhination'with a water heater or the like having a flue for theproducts of combustion thereof, a chambered draft hood for such flue andhaving a wall aperture for communicating association with a stack ventpipe, said casing also having two wall openings, means for securing saidcasing to said water heater or the like in either of two positions so asto locate either of the wall openings of said casing in communicatingassociation with the outlet of the flue of said water heater or thelike, the other wall opening of the casing serving at such time as anair opening, anda baflie plate for the outlet of the flue of said waterheater or the like and arranged within the chamber'of said draft hood.

3. In combination with a water heater or the like having a flue for theproducts of combustion thereof, a draft hood for such flue and having awall aperture for communicating association with a stack vent pipe, saiddraft hood also having two wall openings, means for securing said drafthood to said water heater or the like in either of two positions soas tolocate either of the wall openings of said casing in communicatingassociation with the outlet of the flue of said water heater or thelike, the other wall opening of the casing serving at such, time as anair opening, and a baflle plate in said draft hood for the outlet ofthe-flue of said water heater or the like and carried by such securingmeans.

, CLARENCE H. MORROW.

